Controlling switch for automobile locking devices



- H. E. l. BRAITHWAITE v CONTROLLING SWITCH FOR AUTOMOBILE LOCKING DEVICES Original Filed Feb. 5. 1921 s Sheets-Sheet 1 1,517,188 H. E. l. BRAITHWAITE CONTROLLING swnon FOR AUTOMOBILE LOCKING DEVICES a Sheets-sheaf 2 Original Filed Feb 5, 192] m if A ggw H. E. 1. BRAITHWAITE CONTROLLING SWITCH FOR AUTOMOBILE LOCKING DEVLCES Original Filed Feb. 5

I5 Sheets-5heet 5 Patented Nov. 25, 192%,

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CONTROLLING SW'ITGH IEQR- AUTOMOBILE LOCKE NG DEVICES.

Original application filed February 5, 1921, Serial No. 414-93336. Divided. and this application filed flctober 9, 1922- TO all 1071 am it may concern Be it known that I, Hnrmr EDWARD In'ron Baiiiriiwnrrn, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Anyox, in the Province of British Columbia, Dominion of Canada. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Switches for Automobile Locking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in controlling switch for automobile locking device, and the objects of the invention are to provide simple and effective means by which the starting or ignition circuit ofan automobile may be controlled and locked in such a way as to prevent unauthorized operation of the .car.

Further objects of the invention are to provide simple and effective control means after the manner of a combination look by which the ignition circuit may be completed only by the person knowing the proper combination and which, in the event of improper operation, will not only break the ignition circuit and prevent operation of the car, but will sound a suitable alarm.

Further objects are generally to improve and simplify the construction of the device and enable the various working parts to better perform the functions required of them.

In this constructionthe invention includes an ignition circuit, an alarm circuit, con.- tacts associated with each circuit, contact members arranged around a dial and adapted to co-operate with the aforesaid contact, operating member adapted to catch and operate the contacts in any desired order, circuit breaking and alarm means adapted to be operated when improper contact members are operated, all as hereinafter more fully set forth and described in the accompanying specification and drawings.

This application is a division of my earlier application, Serial No. 442,830, filed Februm 5th, 1921.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectional view through an embodiment of the invention showing the contacts and contact members, the parts associated. with the circuit breaking means being removed for the sake of clarity.

Figure 2 is an elevation of e fr ntof Se ial No. 593,486,

the device showing the dial and operating thumb nut.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view showing the cut out for the ignition circuit and the controlling electromagnet, the contacts and contact members being omitted for the sake of clarity.

l igure 4 is an elevation of the rear end of the device.

Figure 5 is a detail in elevation oi a portion of the operating lever.

Figure 6 is a sectional detail of the end of the controlling armature.

Figure 7 is a detail of one of the insulating discs.

Figure 8 is a sectional detail on the line a a Figure 1 looking towards the rear.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections.

'Referring to the drawings; A indicates a casing which is constituted by a plurality of discs of insulating material, 10, 11, 19. and 13 connected togther by parallel and longit-udinally extending cross bars 14 connected by suitable means such as screws 15 to the edges of the discs. The disc 11 carries a plurality of pairs of contacts 16*, 16", 17 17 30 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 2, 23*, the contacts of each pair being spaced a short distance apart and each pair being arranged equidistant from each other in dial formation around the circumference 8 of the circle. lontacts may beheld in position by any convenient means, such as threaded pins 24, which are connected to the contacts and extend through the disc 1.1 and receive nuts 25 which bind against the discs. The gap between each pair of contacts is adapted to be bridged by contact members B, one contact member being provided for each pair of contacts and each contact member carrying a contact plate 26 designed to connect the contacts of each pair when in innermost position, each contact member being longitudinally reciprocable and extending; through a perforation 27 in the disc 12 which serves as a guideway and being provided with a guide rod 28 extending through a perforation 29 in the disc 11. Each contact member is adapted to be held in innermost or outermost position by suitable spring means, such as spring toggle levers 30, pivoted to projections 31 on the lever B and extending through perfocontrolling member is moved to a position rations 32 in the bars 14, springs 33 extending between the bars and cross pins 34 on the levers. The position or" the lever when the contact member 13 is in innermost or outermost position is inclined, as shown in Figure 1 and the toggle lever will thus hold it in either innermost or outermost position, but permit it to be moved from one position to the other, against,the resistance of the spring.

All of the contact members B are adapted to be operated in any way desired by means of: the reciprocable, and pivotally mounted operating member C which extends through and is journalled in a suitable perjt'oratirm 35 in the disc 13, the contact member carrying, just outside of the casing, a thumb screw 36 by which it may be turned and a pointer 37 adapted to cooperate with the marks on the dial 38 to indicate the position ofthe contact member this dial having numbers to correspond with the numbers of the contact 1nember,which in turn correspond with the numbers of the pairs of contacts. As shown, the pairs ofcontacts are numbered on the dial 1 to 8. Engagement between the operating member and any one ofthe contact members is effected by the radially extending arm .39 on the operating member, adapted to engage the outer end of any one of the contact members, the op erating member being'spring held in outermost position by means of a spiral spring 40 which surrounds a guide rod 41 on the control member andextends between the inner end of the control member and the disc 12, the guide rod being connected to the inner edge of the controlling member and extending through a suitable perforation 42 in the disc 12 whereby the more ment of the controlling member is guided.

Means are provided to return the contact members after completion of the ignition circuit, the means including a disc 43 preterably of insulating material carried .by guide rods 44 and 45 which extend through the discs 11 and 12 and are spring held in normal position by means of spiral springs 46 and 47 extending from the disc l2 and pins 48 and 49 on the rods. liVhen moved outwardly the disc 43 is adapted to engage the projecting ends of any contact members B which are in innermost position. The movement of the disc 43 is accomplished from the controlling member which is first moved .to .a determined position preferably m dway betwen contacts as, for example, midway between the contact 8 and the contact. 1 on the dial, thexcontact member 2being provided with projecting pins 50 and 51 on the arm 39 and on a corresponding arm .52 adapted to engage with perforations 53 and 54 iii-the ends lot the rods 44 and 45. Thus, to return the cont c memb the between the contacts corresponding to numbers 8 and 1 on the dial, is then moved inwardly and turned in a clockwise direction until the pins 50 and 51 are engaged with the perforations 53 and 54 and the controlling member is then drawn outwardly to normal position or allowed to move outwardly under the spring 40 which will return the contact members to normal position. The contact member is then turned in an anticlockwise direction slightly to disengage the projections 50 and 51 from the perforations 53 and 54 allowing the disc 43 to return to normal position under the action of the springs 46 and 47.

The means for breaking the ignition circuit is shown in Figures 3. 1-. and (S and includes an electron'iagnet D controlling a feed armature E spring held in normal position by means of a spring 55 extending bctwen the arniiature and the disc 10, the upper end or" the armature being normally adapted to engage a groove 56 in an axially reciprocable contact member, or pin 5? extending through the disc 10 and through a suitable guide bracket 58, being inwardly spring pressed towards retracted position by means of a spiral spring 59 extending trom the disc 10 to the collar 60 on the pin 57. hen the armature is engaged with the groove 56, however, the end of the contact pin 57 is adapted to engage the end of a correspondingly spring held contact pin 61 which is held in a guide bracket 62 having two arms 63 and 64 which journal the pin, the pin being spring hold in normal position and in contact with the pin 5}" by means of a spiral spring 65 extending from the arms 63 to a collar 66 on the pin 61.

It will be seen when the armature is attracted by the electromagnet D, the end thereof will be disengaged from the groove 56 allowing the contact pin 57 to move a ay from the pin 61. under action of the spring 59 thereby breaking the contact. The pin 57 is adapted to be returned to normal position by means of a rod 67 journa lled in the discs 11 and 152 and adapted to be moved by the arm 39 to engage the end of" the pin and return it to normal position. The rod 6'7 itself may be held in normal position by a spiral spring 68 extending from the disc 11 to a collar or pin 69 on the rod 67.

The electro connections are shown diagrammatically in Figure 9. It will be seen that each pair of contacts 16, 16?, etc., correspond to one of the numbers 1 to 8 on the dial 38. The selection of which contacts complete the alarm circuit and which complete the ignition circuit is purely arbitrary and may be changed from time to time in order to maintain the secret of the proper combination for the operation of the device. By way of illustration, the contacts corre- Ull loo

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sponding to the dial numbers 1 to 4, 5, 6 and 7 are shown in parallel with each other but in series with the alarm circuit which in cludes the electromagnet D, a battery 71 and alarm device 72, such as a bell. The contacts corresponding to the numerals 3 and 8 on the dial are arranged in series with the ignition circuit 73 which includes the ignition cut out indicated diagrai'ni'natically by 7%, including the contact pins 57 and 61 as already explained and including the usual generator 74E of the ignition circuit. It will thus be seen that in order to complete the ignition circuit and operate the motor with which it is associated, the contact members corresponding to the contacts 23, 23", 18 and 18 must be moved inwardly. These correspond to the numbers t and S on the dial and it is necessary that these two should be successively operated in order to complete the ignition circuit.

It the device is attempted to be operated by one not knowing the proper combination, then, if the wrong contact member is moved in it will complete either of the pairs of contacts 16 16 17 17 19 19 20 20 21, 21 22 2%, which correspond to the numbers l, 2 4:, 5, 6 and 7 on the dial and this will complete the alarm circuit operating the ignition circuit cut out and sounding the alarm as already indicated.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention within the scope of the claims, constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A permutation circuit closer of the character described comprising an axially movable and pivoted. selector member having a contact engaging arm, a series of movable contact members arranged in the path or the movement of the arm and adapted to be selectively moved by the same, means for retaining each contact member in the position to which it is moved by the arm, and means for returning all of the contact members to normal position.

2. A permutation circuit closer of the character described comprising a casing, an axially movable and pivoted selector member projecting through the casing having a contact engaging arm, a series of movable contact members within the casing arranged in the path of the movement of the arm and adapted to be selectively moved by the same, means for retaining each contact member in the position to which it is moved by the arm, and means for returning all of the contact members to normal position.

3. A permutation circuit closer of the character described comprising an axially movable and pivoted selector member having a contact engaging arm, a bar and contact finger on the selector member, a series of movable contact members arranged on the path of the movement of the arm, and adapted to be selectively moved by the same, means for retaining each contact member in the position to which it is moved by the arm, and means for returning all of the contact members to normal position.

l. A permutation circuit closer of the character described comprising an axially movable and pivoted selector member having a contact engaging arm, a series of movable contact members arranged in the path of the movement of the arm, and adapted to be selectively moved by the same, means for retaining each contact member in the position to which it is moved by the arm, means for returning all of the contact members to normal position and spring means to return the selector member and contact engaging arm to normal position.

5. A permutation circuit closer of the character described comprising an axially movable and pivoted selector member having a contact engaging arm, a series of reciprocable contact members arranged in the path of the movement of the arm, and adapted to be selectively moved by the same, means for retaining each contact member in the position to which it is moved by the arm, and means for returning all of the contact members to normal position.

6. A permutat on circuit closer of the character described comprising an axially movable and pivoted selector member having a contact engaging arm, a series of re ciprocable contact members arranged in the path of the movement of the arm, and adapted to be selectively moved by the same, spring toggle levers connected to the contact members to retain the same in the pos tion in which it is moved by the arm, and means for returning all of the contact members to normal position.

7. A permutation circuit closer of the character described comprisng an axially movable and pivoted selector having a contact engaging arm, a series of reciprocable contact members arranged in the path of the movement of the arm, and adapted to be selectively moved by the same, spring toggle levers connected to the contact members to reta n the same in the position to which it is moved by the arm, a disc adapted to engage the contact members, spring controlled guide rods supporting the disc, and means on the arm engaging the guide rods to operate the disc.

8. In a combination lock, the combination with an arcuate row of shittable controll ng members, of a rotatable and bodily shiftable actuating member operable to shift said P &

controlling means individually and to reset said members.

9. In a combination lock, a casing, an arcuate row of shift'able controlling membersin said casing, ashifter for said members rotatably mounted and bodily movable for shifting any one of said members, a movable resetting device, and a single actuator operable to rotate or move said shifter bodily or to actuate said resetting device.

10. In a combination lock for completing an electric circuit, the combination With a series of shifta'ble circuit making or breaking members of a selective actuating 'member operable with respect to said circuit members to individually shift the same, said actuating member being also operableto retract all of said circuit members which have been previously shifted.

11. In a combination lock for making an electric circuit, the combination with an arcuate row of shiftable circuit making members, of a rotatable and bodily shiftable actuating member operable to shift said circuit making members individually and to reset said members.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

I HENRY EDWARD lRTON BRAITHWAITE. Witnesses J. CODY, J. J. MILLER. 

